CHAPTER 1
LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR
{CREATIVE NEWS PAPER. 'TORNADO' HITS LEDGERS TOWN!}
The rain was pounding on the window, hard enough to break the glass forcing it to crack, it began rattling furiously in the frame. The strength of the howling wind whirling round out side it was howling as it sucked the glass right out of its frame, and up into the twisting storm. As he looked out of the open window the creative writer noticed the people sat in there cars as this storm is passing through, they are trying to get out of town, and away from the tornado. As he looked out of the broken window, watching the people outside. The window frame and the other windows were rattling and getting looser with every gust of wind. He noticed all the people in the main road struggling against the wind. What's with this weather causing the hustle and bustle out there, the people were being blown furiously in and out of the road. One young man had been blown over, over and over again he went. Whilst people were being pushed and pulled, to and fro by the wind, they were holding on to each other for stability. God bless, i'm glad i'm not out there, and the traffic is at a standstill. There were drivers furiously tooting at each other, they were getting wound up with the weather slowing them down to a crawl. One man in a jag wound down his window, and shouted at the driver in front of him, {Not a good thing to do in this weather}? As he got a mouth full of rain, I chuckled to myself, the driver quickly shut his window, all this in a gale force wind is ridiculous. He'd never seen so many people out on the street at all, they are panicking, running away from the storm. The people that are queued at the bus stop, they are holding on to each other, they look just like penguins shuffling around. all this, just to get out of town, I don’t know what they are thinking. They should have stayed at home. That’s the thing, if they still have a home left? Maybe they should leave! As the radio in the background put out a news bulletin, for all evacuating people to go to the town hall and sports facility’s. There's so many people rushing around, no! That’s not quite true! The funny bald man under the tree, and all he has is to protect himself with, is a pink financial news paper over his head, it was flapping up and down in the wind, slapping him on the head, it's not something I would recommend. I chuckled to myself as I thought of this man is being slapped on the head with that socking wet news paper!
Just then a smartly dressed young women caught his eye, she was struggling with her umbrella, fighting with it, in the wind. He started laughing at the site of her, pulling and pushing it to and fro, he laughed so much that it made him cry, she tried to keep that umbrella up! It was just like a comedy sketch. He thought she looked amazing with her wet curly brown hair, the way the rain dripped off her curls, and that deep red lipstick, with a shadow of blusher on her rosy pink cheeks. She was wearing a smart and stylish figure hugging pink overcoat, that complimented her shape. Then he started looking at the finer details of what she was wearing. He closed his eyes drawing pictures in his head, as he recalled everything she was wearing, some gloves, a hat, and an umbrella all in a purple shade, however he kept thinking of that umbrella, it just didn’t do its job did it, as he laughed to him self, it got bent and twisted in the howling wind, making sure she got wetter than she would have done without it, he started chuckling, don’t judge! Please don’t! As he carried on laughing, it is her piece of treasure, and she refused to let it go at any cost. He found the sight of her very amazing. He closed his eyes again and he could still see her with a fondness, it gave him a worrying feeling. He started thinking, I hope she’s there tomorrow, I will go out and introduce my self. Then he took a second glance, she was clutching her stomach, he could see she was in extreme pain, and it hurt him seeing her doubled over. Was he meant to have feelings like this? About someone he has never met before? He couldn’t take his eyes of her, he couldn’t stop himself feeling this way, as he was looking at her, his feelings were in turmoil, she was doubled over grabbing her stomach tightly, he could see her gasping for air, suddenly the creative writer felt a rush of despair, he started running out of his office, sliding on the banisters, down two flights of stairs,{ he had plenty of practice at that, as he was always getting told off by gran.} He flung the front door open, it made a loud bang, and the wind started howling through the house, He desperately ran across the busy road. His gran heard all the commotion and shouted from the kitchen! “What's all that noise about son?!” Thinking the front door glass was broken! She went to investigate and saw the chaos outside. So she went to the front door, and saw the creative writer putting himself in danger, she wondered, why? What’s he running across that main road for? Come to think of it, what’s he doing out there at all, she said to herself, he’s going to get himself killed! As he got to the other side, he bent down to help the young lady, she was nearly unconscious. Gran realised that he was helping the young lady on the ground, it made her feel proud to see him doing that, to see her grandson helping someone he didn’t even know! The creative writer was shocked to see the other people walking past her, not-one person offering to help with her. Gran thought 'why couldn't the other passengers be bothered to get involved, he is there trying his best to help! Yet the other commuters just looked on oblivious to what was happening. Is the young lady invisible or something?' What has happened to this world today? They were avoiding her like the plague, like a drunk or worse, a drug addict! Although she was barely conscious, he bent down and picked her up, he knew he had to get her home to a safer place as fast as possible. He fought the wind and rain to cross the road, as the cars parted, time seamed to stand still, he was taken aback at the peace he felt all around him, as the world carried on in slow motion, he knew he had her life in his hands, and something strange has just happened, while a man behind him clapped slowly and said 'Good job man!' He thought to himself, What! Why couldn’t this person have helped me instead of clapping.
As he arrived at the front door exhausted, with just enough breathe to shout, “Gran! Gran, help! Phone for an ambu-la-nce!” “It's already on its way son,'' she replied. ''Thanks gran, we must save this ladies life.” “I know son! I know! Put her on the sideboard and cover her with this blanket, she'll be fine there. Wasn’t it terrible trying to cross that road, I can't believe you got back safely,” “it was ok gran, something strange happened out there, everything seamed to move in slow motion, and she isn’t that heavy really, she is quite small and light. I kept wondering if, what was happening was actually real?” “ I'm sorry son, I just couldn’t bear to look at the sight of you putting yourself in danger on that road.” “But Gran! didn’t you see the way the traffic parted! It was like the parting of the sea!” “ How did you know, she needed help son?” “I noticed her collapse as I was looking out of the broken window. I was smiling to my self, watching the people struggling in the weather, little did I know, I’d end up out there. I'd started thanking God it wasn't me, pulling and pushing past the other people, then I saw her collapse, so I went to help. I just had to gran! Not one other person offered to help! One sarcastic person started clapping at the end! They are all ignorant! We are living in a time where people just don't look after each other any more, they just walked around her, as if she was a piece of trash, or a drunk! Gran! You can see from her clothes, she isn’t a drunk! She doesn’t look trashy!” Gran thought for a moment, “Do you think you've done the right thing son?” “yes gran I do!” “That’s all God wants from you, not every one will help a stranger in need”. {Then the woman started mumbling} “I didn’t want to do it! I didn’t want to do it! He made me do it!” The creative writer rushed too her side and asked ,who is he?, with his inquisitive mind rattling as he asked her again, who is he! 'Ah maybe there’s a story here?' {there is always a story, yes! He was thinking of the bigger picture! People need to see this whole story in the paper, this story needs to be heard, as not one other person could spare the time to help her! He turned back to her and thought about what she was going through. Then she said I didn’t want to do it. As he looked at her, he thought what did she say?' He shouted at her “What do you mean?! I don’t understand, tell me what did he make you do?! The woman whispered “help me!” and collapsed. He thought she was dead! He gave her a shake and said “ Don’t die!” Just then she took a gasping breath. Oh thank you lord he thought! “Gran, can you check her pulse or something? I haven’t done CPR on a real person before!” “Ok son, I will check her over. Yes she’s fine, but her breathing is a bit shallow, you'd better pray for that ambulance to get here soon son. Your to soft for your own good son.” “Yes I know gran”. Then the creative writer noticed there was blood on the front of his jacket and his arms. As he was cleaning himself up, he thought 'where is that ambulance? But he realised it was better to talk to the woman, he started to talk to this stranger, he was trying to find out who she is, anything will do, he thought, to get a reaction and find out who you are, and how she is feeling. {A silly question you would think? But to find out how they are feeling, or where it hurts is important for the paramedics at least, I think that’s right, I asked her what had happened to her before she'd collapsed?}. She moved her lips, but not a word could be heard. Then he heard the ambulance, “yes! At last the ambulance has arrived”. The creative writer thought about the time it took for them to arrive. He felt like having a go at them, but gran jumped in, and said “ We don’t know where it come from, do we?” “Look outside its chaos, ah! Calm down dear! They got here as quick as they could”.
The paramedic knocked at the door, the creative writer shouted “Come in! Hurry up will you!” As they came through the door the paramedic asked, “Who needs help”? “Look! Just check her out, she needs your help! I don’t know who she is! just please, help her! She collapsed over the road. I saw her from my study up stairs”. The paramedic checked her over, and saw some signs that she was bleeding, and put a saline drip in her arm. The paramedic was talking to the lady, reassuring her, that everything would be fine. She went in and out of consciousness, the paramedics started shouting at her “You 'will' be ok! Stay with me now! Come on! Stay with me! Come on!”. They swiftly put her on the trolley and in to the ambulance. The creative writer definitely wanted to follow it up, especially as not one person offered to help, and he wanted to put the question to the world in the local paper.
WOULD YOU HELP YOUR NEIGHBOUR?' Would you help your neighbour, if they collapsed out side your house? If they clearly needed help, maybe they collapsed, why wouldn't you help your neighbour? and why wouldn't you get involved? It's a life you could save. Just think how great full they would be, and how it would feel, to save a life? Get involved and just think about how grateful there family would be. They would have a bond with you for life. {All these things are important to the creative writer}. 'So I ask you! What has happened to our values?' if you wouldn’t help, why not? Supposing you was in trouble, wouldn’t you want help from your neighbour? It came across his mind that he was following it up for selfish reasons, but seemed at a loss as to what too do next. As he heard the ambulance going off with the sirens going and blue lights flashing! He started running towards the door, and shouted to gran, “I need to see if she is going to be ok, I am going to follow the ambulance to the hospital, I won't be long gran”. “OK son” ,so gran went to the front door to see him off'. She was so proud of her grandson.
He jumped into his car and followed it closely, keeping as close to the ambulance as possible,{not that your meant to tailgate an ambulance}. He wanted to find out what was the cause of the young lady's problem's, although he felt he was intruding in her life. He really needed to know why she had collapsed? It felt like the story of his parents all over again, because he new it would be on the front page, of the morning paper.
When he got to the hospital, he followed the paramedics pushing the trolley, he was so close too the paramedic team, you would think he was apart of the team, he was out of breath trying to keep up with the paramedics and doctors. All of a sudden a doctor stood right in front of him, and asked if he was one of the family? “No! I, I, I, I'm not! I just helped her”. As he pointed towards the trolley he said “No i'm not!” “ In that case stay here please! We will do all we can for her. What made you come to the hospital” ?“I had to make sure she was going to be ok!” “Why would you want to do that, and how do you know this patient” ? “I told you I helped her. When I saw her collapse in the street I brought her over to my house. I couldn’t just leave her there. “Have you seen the damage the storm has done to this town ? And you expected me to leave her in that! I couldn't stand by, and not doing anything to help her at all”? The doctor realised by this time it was there very own creative writer.
The creative writer thought the doctor is in the wrong job. This Doctor has no heart! He wouldn't help some one that’s collapsed in the road, so he replied to the doctor “I can not do that! It's not me!” The doctor just shrugged his shoulders and replied “Well I think you are brave! Why would you take her into your house? After all you don’t know her, do you”? “ No I don’t know her but I could see she needed help! Wouldn’t you help her” ? “ Ho no, I can't take that risk out of this hospital!” “What risk do you mean? The risk of aids or that you will learn to actually care about someone”? The creative writer was getting mad with the doctors attitude, he was so selfish. The Doctor replied “Well you never know who you are taking into your home, do you!” The creative writer said in a stern voice! “You don’t know and wont know, unless you try helping someone out there, in the real world!” “There are all sorts of people that would just con you in that type of situation” . “What do you mean? Type of people? Type of situation”! It was obvious to the creative that the doctor really doesn’t care about other people. He really thinks that someone would take advantage of the person that helped them. The creative writer said “I think it's a bit odd you saying that to me, you think she will try to con me? Look at her doctor! She needs you more than you know! So you think on that doctor!! Do you think that no one would want to get involved, in case they where conned” ?! “No, but if they sued you, your in trouble! Wouldn’t you say!” The doctor is definitely insecure. The Doctor doesn’t realise that you could make friends out of helping them, if you try, just try helping some one. After he thought for a moment he said “I would rather be sued for helping someone and if it makes the papers, you should be proud of yourself ,that you did what was needed of you! All this doctor thinks is rubbish! You may not know who you are helping, but you must help someone one day. The creative writer shouted “It's who I am, and what I do, that matters to me and my family!! What you think is wrong!!” The doctor obviously doesn’t have empathy with his patients? He shouted so why be a doctor? if your not going to care what is going on in your patients life” ? By this time, I just wanted to know where the chapel was, just to get some piece and quiet. I said “I'm sorry i've got to go, is there a chapel here” ? the doctor asked “Why do you care so much about people you don’t even know” ? “It's very important to me to see a happy world. I'm an idealist and I do pray for many people, that I don’t even know, because I see them having some sort of trouble in there life. That’s what being a Christian means! No one knows how many people are praying for them through there life”. The doctor asks again “Have you seen this lady before” ? “Only out of my study window during the storm. I gazed out of the window watching the people being blown all over the place, and I don’t know who she is, or where she comes from? It's the fact she needed help that matters”! By this time I was tiered and out of patients , I just wanted to know where the chapel is, just to get some piece and quiet. I had a splitting head ache by the time I got to the chapel of piece.
What a palaver it was, to get the doctor to give me the directions to THE CHAPEL OF PEACE. As I opened the door to THE CHAPEL OF PEACE. I found it tobe a small whitewashed cold room. With a big figure of Jesus at the front, on the table there was a dozen candles, lit in remembrance of some ones prayer's to the lord. Ho boy it is tranquil in here. After I lit a candle and put some money on the table, I decided to sit on the wooden pew with a simple prayer book next to me. Although I didn’t know the lady, I curiously looked in the book for some inspiration, while I sat praying and listening to god. I thought about the doctors, trying to save lives. Praying for the lord to help them and bring peace to their patients.
Then I went back to the waiting room. As I was walking backwards and forwards. I could hear the sound of my own feet pacing up and down, it sounded creepy, clip, clop, creek, creek, clip, clop ,creek, creek. I kept asking every 5 minuets, “how the young lady was doing”, the doctor was a little abrupt to me and said “She is stable!” It felt like hours had gone past, but it must have only been about an hour or so. I kept pestering the nurses trying to find out more, they consistently answered me with “She’s stable for now”, “what does that mean”? So I had to ask again, and again, I cant just sit here.“Excuse me, may I asked what's really wrong with her? You just say 'stable for now' what is wrong with her? I need to know” “ OK this will be a shock, not just to you, but she has had an abortion, and there seems to have been some complication”. “Complication, how do you mean?” The doctor explained that the surgeon who performed this operation was either in a hurry, or incompetent. “I've seen a lot like this over the last two years”, “two years”, “Yes two years!” replies the doctor. “What can I do” ? I asked “What can you do? When there’s someone out there damaging these young girls”. The doctor was disgusted that a surgeon could leave anyone with this damage, its plane and simple incompetence. The creative writer thought to himself, surly you can get pills to have abortions knower day’s, I felt I needed to help the doctor, so I asked ”what can I do to help you”? The doctor pauses for a minuet and said “Find out who the girl is! That is your first job! Are you not the one called THE CREATIVE WRITER for the local CREATIVE NEWS PAPER?”